SSBB: Depression
by gamestomper
Summary: Sequel to "Knife's Bane": After the loss of their friends a week before, the Smashers and Slash must deal with depression, newcomers, and confused feelings. Rated T for language, mention of violence, and mild adult themes maybe . Includes pairings.
1. Introduction

**Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Depression**

_It has been a week since 24 of the Smashers have been killed due to certain circumstances that were present at an old mansion in America. They believed that it was all the work of Slash, a master of throwing knives that had already killed a few of them. However, they soon found out that one of their own Smashers had also been killing people: Sheik. Captain Falcon, thought to have been dead, reappeared and stopped Sheik's evil intentions, while Slash aplogized for his actions, and was accepted to join the Smashers. But, now the current Smashers must deal with new Smashers, and the pain from losing their old Smashers. _

_9: 47 A.M._

"So, this is the new roster, eh?" Luigi mumbled half-heartedly. The twelve Smashers that were currently in the Smash Mansion were gathered by the News Bulletin Board that was usually covered with schedules for matches. Instead, it had the new roster that was to be put into effect tomorrow, when the newcomers arrived.  
"Yep, it sure seems that way," Mario, Luigi's older brother, replied. Both of the pumbers were missing thier signature hats, revealing a mess of hair. Their usually neat mustaches were jagged and rough, and they had dark circles around their eyes. One of Mario's gloves even had a hole in it, letting his ring finger slip into the open air. But, neither of them cared in the least. Who could blame them? Just last week, they had lost 24 of their close friends. Ever since, the losses had taken quite a toll on each of the Smashers. Just behind the plumbers stood the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess "Toadstool" Peach. She was usually optimistic about everything that happened, no matter how bad. But, even the happy-go-lucky princess looked horrible. She was mssing her jewel-encrusted crown, and her brooch. She, too, bared the same dark circles around her eyes as the Mario brothers. Next to the princess stood Link, the Hero of Time, Protector of Hyrule, Weilder of the Triforce of Courage, and the whole nine yards. However, the elf had gotten perhaps the worst of it from last week's events. He had lost his closest friend, whom he was trusted to protect, Princess Zelda. Plus, another one of his close friends, Sheik, had revealed that she had killed Zelda, as well as a few others. Link was always getting comfort hugs and such from Peach and Samus, and pats on the back from the guys. The Hero of Time was missing his green hat, revealing that his golden blonde hair was in the worst of messes. Link was also not carrying around his wide variety of weapons, including the Master Sword, bombs, and a boomerang. The hero's eyes were also red and his face soaked from crying during the night, where he dreamt about Zelda, Sheik, and sometimes even Ganondorf, his archnemesis. Link had his hands on the shoulder of Toon Link, one of his incarnations. Standing next to Toon Link were his friends, Ness and Lucas. Ness and Lucas were PSI kids, which meant that they possessed magic-like powers, including fire, telekinesis, and thunder. Toon Link was just like Link in every way, except he was smaller, younger, and more cartoon-ish looking. The three kids were confused to everything since last week when they went to the mansion, and had mostly just stuck together nowadays. Next to the children was Meta Knight, from Dreamland. Although his mask hid it, the usually cold, uncaring knight showed that he, too, missed the others. It was mainly because of Kirby's death that Meta Knight hadn't slept well for the past week, but the small knight wasn't going to admit it. On the other side of Peach was Wolf O'Donnell, leader of the Star Wolf team. His fur was jutting out unevenly on one side, as the wolf hadn't groomed it as often or precise as he used to, leaving it to look as if he only just woke up everytime someone saw him. Ever since the incidents at the mansion, Wolf was just as depressed as everyone else, but he wasn't sure why. What reason could possibly have kept him from howling at the full moon last night? Such a thing was very hard to do to say the least. He hated those fools anyway; they were weak. Next to Wolf was Samus Aran, a famous bounty hunter. She was always getting unwanted attention from the guys, repaying them with pain, suffering, and rejection. Generally speaking, she was cold, and seemingly uncaring, but she still helped to watch the kids of the mansion. Rather harshly at that, but she still showed genuine concern for them. But, lately, she had started to change. Usually, whenever the kids misbehaved, Samus would yell at them. But, lately, she found herself just telling them to be careful in a quiet voice, and not try to discipline them as much. She had also been seen wearing her Zero Suit more than before, thankfully not getting the same unwanted attention from guys as usual. Her ponytail had long since come undone, and her pale yellow hair drooped over her face, hiding her empty, pale blue eyes. Next to her was Pit, an angel. Pit was like Samus's coworker, helping her to care for the children. Although, with Samus's changes, Pit had worried about his coworker's well-being, and hadn't slept well either. His crown was absent from his head, and his overall appearance was messy. Next to Pit was Slash, a master of throwing knives. Slash himself had killed several of the Smashers back at the mansion, but had promised to change his ways, as well as ask to come live the Smashers. But, he still felt guilty and out of place about the whole thing. Slash wasn't wearing his usual black mobster hat, revealing his long black hair that still drooped around his head. His gray eyes gave off a faint red glow, and he wore a black leather jacket. His jacket concealed his bright red shirt that bore a picture of the devil with "Satan" written around it. Slash also wore a belt that had two containers of throwing knives clipped onto them, and he also had on black, baggy jeans and tall black boots. He also had on black, fingerless gloves he had bought a couple days ago.

All twelve Smashers looked horrible. It was hard to believe that they were to go right back into fighting the next day. Of course, this was Master Hand's doing, but it was to ensure that the Smash business stayed alive, which many fans had followed since the original Smash Bros. The Smashers completely understood this, and didn't treat the hand any less kindly.  
"Well, I'm going down to the bar," Wolf announced, leaving the group and heading down the hall towards the mansion's bar. Meta Knight followed after the wolf, craving a few drinks himself. Pit led Toon Link, Ness, and Lucas away from the group and took them towards their rooms to play. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Link also headed back for their rooms, leaving just Slash and Samus to stare at the new list.  
"Hard to believe we're going to be going right back into normal tomorrow," Samus blurted out. Slash sighed.  
"Well, Master Hand's gotta keep the business going. If it were to shut down, things would be worse," Slash reminded her.  
"I know, but..." Samus started, stopping in midsentence.The two stood there for another few minutes, staring at the roster in silence. Slash saw a tear start to form in Samus's eye out of the corner of his eye. Feeling confused, he began to slowly pat her gently on the back in an effort to comfort her. Samus didn't make an attempt to stop him, and just stood there, trying not to break down and cry in front of Slash. After a couple minutes, Samus spoke up.  
"I'm going up to my room," she told Slash, walking off. Slash nodded, and decided to head up to his room as well.

As he turned the corner, Slash accidentely bumped into Pit.  
"Sorry," Slash quickly apologized. Pit nodded, and looked back down the hall that Slash had emerged from. Samus was still walking down the long hallway. Slash looked at Pit, and then where he was staring.  
"Wait, how long were you standing there for? I thought you took them kids back to their rooms," Slash suddenly remembered. Pit faced Slash.  
"About a minute actually," Pit admitted. Slash raised an eyebrow at the angel.  
"Were you spying on Samus, or something?" Slash inquired. Pit shook his head.  
"If you're insinuating that I have... an attraction to Samus, then you're mistaken. It's just, when I first came here, I found myself caring for the children when I wasn't at a match or anything. But, whenever I had a match, they always seemed to get in trouble, leaving me swamped with my real job, and my volunteered job," Pit explained to the knife master. Slash nodded in understanding, but was unsure what Pit was trying to explain. Pit continued.  
"Then, after a while, Samus helped me out with caring for the kids, disciplining them like I couldn't bring myself to do even when I knew I had to. From there, we were pretty close friends, but not... lovers or anything like that. I"ve admired Samus for what she's done for me, and how she treats me. She's like... a sister to me, you know?" Pit asked. Slash had never had a sister, but nodded in understanding. Pit sighed.  
"But, lately, she's been restless and sad. When I see her like that, it just... makes me feel sad. I really want to help her, but I don't know how, and it just drives me crazy," Pit explained. Now Slash nodded with genuine understanding, finally getting what Pit was trying to tell him.  
"Hey, you can't control how she feels, you do realize that?" Slash asked, surprised he came up with that kind of advice. Pit nodded.  
"I know, but... I just want to see her smile again, you know? I just want to see her happy again," Pit told Slash. Slash put his hand on Pit's shoulder.  
"Listen," Slash ordered the angel, looking him hard in the eye. Pit stared into Slash's eyes.  
"Just give her some time. She'll get over this eventually, just like everyone else will. You can't just force her to be happy," Slash told Pit. Pit sighed, and nodded.  
"Okay, I'll wait," Pit agreed. Slash took his hand off Pit's shoulder, and smiled.  
"Good, now you run along," Slash finished. Pit walked off back to his room, leaving Slash standing there in the hall for a few minutes before he decided to head back to his room.

--

_8: 30 P.M._

Pit and Samus returned from tucking in Toon Link, Ness, and Lucas to bed, and settled into the living room with the other Smashers. Wolf and Meta Knight were passed out on the floor from their drinks earlier that day, and no one made any movement to wake them up and send them off to bed. Mario and Luigi were flipping through the channels, looking for something to watch. Peach was reading a book, Link was polishing his sword, and Slash was sitting in the recliner, listening to his iPod. Samus and Pit took a seat next to Peach on the couch. Bored, they decided to see what the Mario Brothers would watch. As they were passing through the news channels for the third time, Samus saw something that caught her interest.  
"Wait, go back!" Samus blurted out in the room, catching everyone's attention. Mario flipped back a channel, and everyone saw why Samus asked him to go back.

_"... reported that 24 of them were killed inside the mansion. Details are unknown, as the Smashers and Master Hand will not agree to give them to us. As a result, new Smashers will be going to the Smash Mansion tomorrow. How will things play out for the newcomers and current Smashers? Tune in tomorrow and find out! I'm John Genericanaman, with my co-host, Lady Lady, saying, good night..."_

With that, Mario shut off the television, leaving the Smashers in a deathly silence.  
"You know what? I think I'm going to head up to bed now," Link announced, breaking the silence. He picked up his sword and sword polish, and left the room.  
"Same here, I'm tired," Luigi agreed, following after the elf. Mario and Peach followed after the two, stopping to drag Meta Knight and Wolf to their beds. That left Pit, Samus, and Slash. Slash took out his earphones, and turned off his iPod, stuffing it in his pocket. Slash then sighed heavily, and placed his hand to his head. Samus felt tears return to her eyes once again. Pit began fiddling with his fingers, not sure what to do. Then, he felt a familiar feeling in his lower stomach.  
"Uh, be right back. Nature calls," Pit quickly explained, walking off for the bathroom. Samus watched him go out, and then stared at Slash. Then, out of nowhere, she felt herself begin to cry, something she hadn't done since she was a kid. Slash heard her cries, and looked over. Samus was curled up in a ball, and was trying to hide the fact she was crying. Slash gulped softly, and walked over next to Samus. He helped Samus stand up on her feet, and was about to pat her on the back, when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Slash was taken by surprise, and was about to pull away, but decided not to. He returned the gesture, and hugged her back, letting the bounty hunter cry into his shoulder.  
"You miss your friends, don't you?" Slash asked, feeling guilty again. Samus stopped crying, and sniffed.  
"Mmhmm," Samus mumbled, her face still buried into Slash's shoulder. Slash sighed to himself, not sure what to do. Samus pulled her head out of Slash's shoulder, and rested her chin on it instead.  
"I've always lost people close to me," Samus blurted out. Slash felt confusion rise to his face.  
"Always? What do you mean by that?" Slash asked, taking the chance of Samus breaking down again. But, Samus kept calm, and answered him.  
"When I was little, my parents were killed," Samus explained. Slash felt a pinge of sadness at this, especially when she had said "parents". He even felt a few tears coming to his face, but held them back.  
"I... I never knew that. I'm sorry," Slash replied. Samus sniffed again.  
"And then, Marth and Zelda were killed. Marth was the only guy that treated me like a human being. Well, at least one that considered me a friend, too. And Zelda... she helped me deal with a lot of problems in Melee and Brawl, like an older sister of some sort. And now, they're gone," Samus finished, feeling tears return to her face again. Slash felt... lost at the moment. Samus, a girl he had even tried to kill before, was opening up to him with all these things. Maybe, if she could do it ...

"... You're... not the only one who's had a rough past," Slash admitted.  
"Wait, you too?" Samus inquired, feeling herself relax a little. Slash sighed.  
"When I was little, my parents died in a car accident," Slash explained briefly. Samus didn't know what to say. She had never given any real thought about Slash's past. The two continued to hug for the next few moments, calming down from their sadness. They let go of each other, and stared at each other. Slash fixed Samus's ponytail, and threw it back behind her head.  
"There, much better," Slash commented, smiling lightly. Samus felt a smile creep to her face, and wiped her wet face. The two stared awkwardly at each other for a few minutes. At that same moment, neither of them noticed that Pit had walked back into the room. Pit kept silent, and watched to see what would happen. Samus reached her hands up, and brushed Slash's hair out of the way, showing more of his face. The two blushed, and smiled even more. Slash's hands somehow found their way to Samus's, and Samus let him. Then, the two began to lean towards each other. Pit gulped, and watched the scene before him. Their lips drew closer, and closer... Samus opened her eyes, and pulled away. Slash had opened his eyes too, and leaned back so that he stood up straight.  
"Ummm..." Samus stuttered, her cheeks growing on even brighter red.  
"Yeah, uhh," Slash mumbled as well, scratching the back of his head. The two chuckled lightly for a few seconds.  
"So, we almost... right there, huh?" Samus asked, feeling extremely confused.  
"Yeah, that close," Slash responded, closing his thunb and first finger close together. Then, they looked to their sides before facing one another again. Samus sighed.  
"LIsten, Slash. Don't take this the wrong way, but it's just... I don't want to end up losing another close friend again, you know?" Samus explained, feeling an uncomfortable pain in her stomach. Slash nodded.  
"Yeah, I get where you're coming from," Slash answered. Samus nodded slowly.  
"Thanks for listening to me. It felt good to just... let it all out," Samus then thanked, smiling at Slash. Slash smiled as well, and nodded.  
"No problem, anytime!" Slash assured her. Then, Samus yawned, stretching her arms up.  
"Well, I guess I'm heading up to bed now, good night," Samus changed the subject.  
"Good night Samus," Slash returned. Samus turned, and was about to head off for her room, when she turned around, and gave Slash a quick kiss on the cheek. Samus felt herself blush again, and giggled to herself before walking off to her room. She didn't even notice Pit. Slash just stood there, sliding his hand up to where Samus kissed him. He took a seat on the couch next to him, and smiled to himself. For the first time since he got here, and most of his life, Slash actually felt happy. Pit smiled as well from the doorway, and headed back for his room to sleep. Only, this night, he could sleep peacefully, knowing that there was hope for Samus's happiness.

_8: 44 A.M._

The twelve Smashers were gathered in the main lobby, as they were to greet the newcomers that would arrive any minute now. They had each dressed their best to make a good impression, but nothing could be done about how tired they looked. Regardless, they hoped their big, fake smiles would distract them from the dark circles around their eyes. Soon, the first newcomers arrived, who were none other than the five from Melee that got cut. That included Dr. Mario, Young Link, Mewtwo, Pichu, and Roy. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Link, Samus, and Ness greeted them easily, while Toon Link, Pit, Meta Knight, Wolf, Lucas, and Slash introduced themselves.

"Its good to be back again!" Dr. Mario shouted with glee, sighing. Pichu and Young Link agreed with the doctor, but Mewtwo and Roy disagreed.  
"_Yes, but the reason why we're back seems enough to me that it's not good to be back,_" Mewtwo retaliated.  
"Yeah!" Roy agreed. Before there were any arguements, Link stepped in.  
"Shut the hell up all of you! Just get in here, and take your damn stuff into your room, and get your fricking picture taken for the roster!" Link ordered, flames burning in his eyes. The five Smashers blinked a few times before doing what Link told them, and headed up to their assigned rooms. The others just stared at Link for a few seconds before looking over at the door as it opened again. In flew Ridley, with Samurai Goroh, Shadow Mario, and Bowser Jr. walking close behind.  
"Never would have thought Master Hand would call me back in to be a character in Brawl," Ridley commented as the Smashers greeted him. Just as this group was being introduced to the Smashers, even more newcomers walked in. This time, it included Dixie and Funky Kong, Krystal, Marcus, Midna, Tails "Miles" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Big Boss. The Smashers shook hand after hand of the newcomers, hiding the fact that they were slightly tired from shaking everyone's hands. About a minute after the newcomers had retreated up to their rooms, the last of the newcomers walked through the door, which included Daisy, Waluigi, Birdo, Mallow, and Geno. After the five of them had headed up to their rooms, the twelve sighed, and remembered that they had to report to the auditorium for Master Hand's official welcoming speech in about an hour.

"So, what do we do for an hour?" Meta Knight asked. Mario shrugged.  
"I'm going to go eat some breakfast, anyone want to join me?" Wolf suggested. Within the next few seconds, Wolf, Peach, Link, Luigi, and Mario were heading to get some breakfast, along with Samus, Toon Link, Ness, and Lucas. Meta Knight decided to check in on the newcomers, and see how their pictures were going, leaving Slash and Pit.  
"Soooo," Slash broke the awkward silence. "How are you spending your hour?" Slash asked. Pit shrugged.  
"Beats me. I didn't have any plans to do anything," Pit admitted. Slash sighed. He looked back over at Pit, and saw that the angel was smiling at him. Slash cocked his eyebrow.  
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Slash asked, feeling a little creeped out by Pit's smile.  
"I saw you and Samus almost kiss last night," Pit blurted out, making Slash blush a little.  
"Errr, well..." Slash stuttered, not sure what to say. Pit laughed.  
"I thought you said that you couldn't force her to be happy?" Pit joked, remembering Slash's advice from yesterday. Slash chuckled.  
"I'm not forcing her to be happy. Besides, we're not... like that," Slash replied. Pit nodded.  
"Okay then, if you say so," Pit let the subject drop. After a period of silence, Slash sighed.  
"Okay, so maybe we do have feelings for each other," Slash admitted. Pit faced Slash again.  
"It's just, we don't really know each other that well," Slash explained to Pit. "All I know is her name, that her parents died when she was little, and that she usually got a lot of unwanted attention from the guys," Slash told the angel. Pit nodded in understanding.  
"Not to mention, if she knew all about my past, I don't think she'd even want to come near me," Slash added, sighing heavily. Pit clicked his tounge.  
"I'm guessing you weren't exactly an angel in your younger days, huh?" Pit inquired. Slash nodded.  
"I've done some things that I regret now," Slash admitted. The two stood in the lobby for awhile before deciding to have some breakfast.

--

_9: 59 A.M._

The newcomers were gathered in the Smash Mansion's auditorium, chatting among themselves. The veterans and Slash were gathered on stage, waiting for the speech to start. Master Hand floated over to the microphone, and cleared his throat. The crowd immediately calmed down, and listened to the giant floating hand.  
"Welcome one and all to the ever famous Smash Mansion!!" Master Hand began, letting the crowd cheer like crazy for a few seconds before calling for silence again.  
"Okay, before we begin any kind of Brawl activities, you are going to be introduced to people that have been here long enough to be able to help you if you need it. Well, except for one, who is a newcomer just like you," Master Hand added. Mario and Luigi took the stand first, and stood in the spotlight.  
"First up are the Mario Brothers, Mario and Luigi. They're plumbers that hail from the Mushroom Kingdom. Both have been in every Smash Bros. game to date, so they are very familiar with this place. Both have fireball attacks, and also use hand-to-hand combat," Master Hand introduced. Peach then took the spotlight.  
"Next, we have Princess Peach, princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. She has been in Melee and Brawl, so she has some experience. She uses quick attacks, so watch out," Master Hand warned. Link and Toon Link stepped up next.  
"This would be Link and Toon Link, both Heroes of Hyrule, Weilders of the Master Sword, Holders of the Triforce of Courage, you get the idea. They has a wide arsenal of weapons at their disposal, so be ready for anything from either of them!" Master Hand advised. Samus stepped up next.  
"Next up we have Samus Aran, a rather famous bounty hunter. She uses weapons such as missles and guns, so you better be prepared to take some hard hits," Master Hand moved down the list. Next up was Pit.  
"This is Pit, from Angeland. He possesses a magical bow with light arrows that can transform into twin swords, so be ready to dodge both," Master Hand told the newcomers. Meta Knight was next.  
"Okay, here we have Meta Knight, from Dreamland. He is a skilled swordsman that can also fly. Basically, if you're not careful, he'll kick your ass!" Master Hand joked. Wolf took the stand next.  
"Next up is Wolf O'Donnell from the Lylat System. He has razor sharp claws, and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, so watch out for him," Master Hand continued. Ness and Lucas stepped up next.  
"Next up are the PSI kids, Ness and Lucas. Basically, they have magical powers, like fire and thunder. So, just because they're kids, don't go easy on them, or they'll get you!" Master Hand informed the newcomers. Last up was Slash.  
"Now, this is the other newcomer, Slash, from America actually. I don't know much about him, except that he's a master of throwing knives, so watch out!" Master Hand warned. With that, the twelve Smashers all stood up, and stood in the spotlight.

"Now that we're all aquainted, the sign-up for Brawl matches is now open! You can find them in the main lobby, where-" Master Hand was drowned out as the newcomers piled out to go fight one another. Only the twelve on stage stayed behind. Master Hand chuckled.  
"So eager," he commented before facing the others.  
"How about you guys? You gonna brawl?" he asked. Meta Knight shook his head.  
"We'll wait and see how these noobs fare first," he explained. Master Hand shrugged, and floated back to his office, leaving the twelve alone yet again.  
"How's about we go see how they're doing?" Wolf suggested. Everyone nodded, and headed off towards the room that displayed all the brawls that were taking place. They laughed at each of the newcomers as they tried to fight each other, while dealing with the hazards of the stage for what felt like hours, pointing out obvious flaws in someone's fighting techniques, or commenting on how badly someone was owned. It was the most fun they had in a week, but it could only last for so long.


	2. Bar Love

_11: 36 P.M._

"Get me another Scotch," Wolf demanded. He was sitting in the Smash Mansion's Bar, accompanied by Meta Knight. They usually spent their days in the bar, trying to drink away their sadness. Speaking of Meta Knight, the small knight was watching the newcomers that had come down to party in the bar, a Scotch of his own in one hand. The bartender slid down another beverage for Wolf, who took a big glug, sighing when he finished. He turned to watch the newcomers as well. Waluigi and Shadow Mario were shouting out random gibberish while showing signs that they were going to fall over. Big Boss, who was next to the two drunks, looked at the two with annoyance, but kept focus on whatever he was doing there. Ridley, Samurai Goroh, Mallow, and Geno were passed out on the floor with several bottles of beer around them. Closeby, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Mewtwo, Dixie, Funky, Birdo, Dr. Mario, Midna, and Roy were merely cheering out in celebration, telling tales of back at their homes, and how their family and friends took the news. The happiness in the bar ticked off Wolf and Meta Knight.

"How can they celebrate at a time like this?" Wolf shook his head, growling lowly. Meta Knight took a swig of his drink, and sighed.

"They don't know," Meta Knight calmly replied. The two sat for a few minutes, watching the party. Eventually, Meta Knight slammed down his glass, and let out a loud burp.

"I can't take this. I'm outta here Wolf," the knight hissed, walking out of the bar with some difficulty. Wolf watched him go, and let out a small hiccup, almost falling out of his seat. When he regained his composure, Wolf looked up, and saw Krystal sitting alone at a table. Wolf narrowed his eyes, and wondered why the vixin wasn't partying with the others. Letting his curiousity get the better of him, Wolf walked over to the table.

When he came close, he tapped on Krystal's shoulder. Krystal jumped, and looked up, relaxing when she saw Wolf.

"It's just you," she sighed, chuckling lightheartedly. Wolf got straight to the point with her.

"How come you're not partying with the other noobies?" Wolf asked, slipping into the chair across from Krystal. Krystal sighed, and looked down. She looked hard at Wolf, revealing small tears.

"How can anyone party when you know that your friends and loved ones are dead?" Krystal asked the wolf. Wolf sighed, and took a sip of his drink.

"That's what I'm wondering with these guys," Wolf answered, glaring in the newcomers' general direction. Krystal let a tear roll down her cheek.

"I can't believe that Fox is... gone," she sighed, shaking a little. Wolf stared back at the vixin.

"What about all those relationship problems with you two? Believe me, I could care less, but that's just... I can't even think of the word for it," Wolf added, showing a look of confusion. Krystal stared back at Wolf.

"I know that we had all that, but... we still cared about each other. Besides, we settled down with a kid, didn't we?" Krystal retaliated. Wolf let a strange look cross his face.

"Remember, none of those endings were cannon?" Wolf reminded her. Krystal smirked.

"Just because they weren't cannon, doesn't mean that EVERYTHING never happened," Krystal hinted, winking. Wolf blinked a couple times, before smirking himself.

"Thanks for sharing. Now then, that image is stuck inside my head," Wolf joked, finishing off his drink, and carelessly tossing the glass onto the floor, where it shattered into pieces. Krystal watched the glass break, and scowled at Wolf.

"Hey, don't litter!" she scolded, making Wolf raise an eyebrow.

"Why are you telling ME what to do?" Wolf shot back. Krystal let her face relax, and looked down.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me..." Krystal mumbled. Wolf felt a strange pinge in his heart, like guilt. But, why should he feel guilty? Here was Fox's... lover. If anything, he should dispise her just as much as he did Fox. Dismissing the confusion, Wolf decided to change the subject.

"So, you... also depressed he's gone?" Wolf inquired, immediately being confused at his own words. Did he just admit that he was depressed that Fox was gone? Wolf didn't have time to think about it, as Krystal reenforced his thoughts.

"Yeah... Wait, are you saying you miss Fox too?" Krystal suddenly asked. Wolf tapped his claws on the table, and let his eyes slide back to face the newcomers again. Krystal smiled, seeing that she was right.

"You DO miss him!" Krystal blurted out, teasing the wolf. Wolf stared down Krystal, and spoke confidentely.

"It's only because I wanted to be the one to kill him, not Slash," Wolf retaliated. Krystal chuckled.

"Yeah, that excuse has been LONG gone, especially after _Assault_. Everyone knows you secretly respected Fox," Krystal continued teasing Wolf. Wolf sighed, and let his head droop. Krystal stopped smiling, and stared at Wolf, not sure what to do.

"Is there something wrong? Was it something I said? If it was then-" Krystal began.

"No, it's not you. Listen, I just... it's not... I don't know," Wolf interuppted, struggling with his words. Krystal nodded her head, and stared at Wolf. Wolf took a big sigh, and stared back at the vixin.

"Let me tell you something I've never told anyone else," Wolf suddenly burst out. Krystal was taken aback by Wolf's sudden action of opening up to her. But, she merely nodded, and prepared to listen.

"I met Fox one day when I was living on the streets. After yelling at him for not looking where he was going and a buncha other crap, we got into a small fight that his dad broke up. Then, you know what he did? He offered me to stay at their house for dinner. I accepted, and stayed. I opened up to that man, while obviously picking on his son right in front of him. But, the guy didn't do much to stop me, just telling me to stop, nothing else. When we were sleeping in the same room, Fox and I got into another fight. But, this one was worse. It got pretty personal between us. Pretty soon, I was beating Fox until he started to bleed. By then, his dad walked in on us, and saw the mess. Now, he was pretty pissed off at me for what I did to his son, but I never thought that man would go so far. He beat the hell outta me, even clawing out my eye, as you can see. Then, he tossed me back out onto the streets, where I wandered helpless and alone, with one eye. Now, anyone would think that this meant that we would forever hate one another, but then something happened," Wolf continued in his tale. Krystal was listening attentively, interested in Wolf's story. Wolf cleared his throat and continued.

"Anyway, I found refuge in a box, and shivered from cold, pain, and sadness. After losing an eye, I feared to go back out into the world. And just when I was going to start crying from the pain, someone appeared. Honestly, it was the last person I would expect, and with good reason. It was... Fox. He was cleaned up from the bloody fight. Then, you know what he did next? He handed me an eyepatch, and told me to wear it to conceal my missing eye. Then, he offered me some food he brought over from his place. I took it, as I was hungry again. While we ate, I told him about my life, and he told me about his. To tell you the truth, it was like... talking to a true friend. But, when it was almost dawn, he had to leave. But, before he did, he promised to help me at any chance he could get. I looked forward to it, when many things happened that completely changed everything. The Star Fox at the time was sent to Venom, and I was captured by two men. The two men were Leon Powalski and Andrew Oikonny, who trained me to fly, and convinced me to create Star Wolf. They made me forget all about Fox, and focused on my hatred for James, who I thought I would be fighting. Andross let me do just that, as that hare told Fox when he escaped. Now, I was convinced that Fox would hate my guts, and Andross wanted me to kill him, in addition to his friends. I knew I couldn't do that to him, so I never went full force with my piloting skills until we had joined up to fight the Aparoids. Ever since, I've been trying to steer away from that, and focus on going back to like the time we stayed up in the night, eating cookies and telling stories, but that chance is gone... for good," Wolf finished off, feeling tears rise up in his real eye. Krystal felt sorry for the wolf, who she normally would try to shoot down. But, with this new little information from his childhood, she felt pity towards him.

"Oh, Wolf," Krystal stuttered, walking over and hugging him. Luckily for them, the newcomers had finished their party, and had left to go to sleep, save the ones that had already passed out. Wolf stood up, and slowly let tears run down his face as Krystal hugged him. Normally, Wolf would be disgusted and against the gesture, but he let Krystal hug him. Krystal slowly shook him from side-to-side, and began to gently stroke Wolf's fur.

After a few minutes, Krystal let go of Wolf, but let her arm go around his shoulder.

"How about I take you back to your room?" Krystal offered in a soothing voice, watching him stare down at the ground. Wolf sniffed, and nodded, letting Krystal lead him back to his room. No one was wandering the halls at this hour, leaving the mansion in an eerie silence. The only sounds were those of Wolf and Krystal's footsteps as they walked. The walk was short, and Krystal led Wolf into his room. Off in the corner was a set up for a workout type area, with weights, a jump rope, and a punching bag. Off in another corner was a place where there were signs that it was a scratch post. In the center was a bed, the covers decorated with wolves and the full moon on it. Wolf climbed into his bed, sitting on the bed with his head still low. Krystal thought about just saying good night and leaving Wolf to sleep, but something inside her made her stay to comfort him. Krystal took a seat next to Wolf, staring at him with concern. Wolf looked back up at her.

"You know, you should probably get some rest," Wolf suggested.

"But I'm worried about you," Krystal explained, not even noticing that she had placed her hand on Wolf's (well, paw, but you get the idea). Wolf didn't say anything, but he felt his heart skip a few beats when Krystal said that. He hadn't heard anyone say that since he was a pup, when his mother was still barely alive. Wolf smiled, and continued to stare into Krystal's enchanting eyes. Wolf wasn't sure why, but, he suddenly felt the urge to... kiss Krystal. Not thinking as he usually did before acting, Wolf began to lean towards Krystal, who just let a look of shock cross her face. Their lips met, and Krystal was confused on what to do. But, she soon let herself go, closing her eyes and kissing Wolf back. Her arms slid up around Wolf's neck, while Wolf's wrapped around Krystal's hips. The two kissed for a long time, enjoying it as it lasted. Soon, they found themselves rolled over, with Krystal resting on top of Wolf. The two had only removed their boots in their shift, and their lips remained locked together. Neither of them noticed that a certain blue fox had wandered into the room, and saw the two lying on the bed, kissing each other. Marcus was confused. Why was his mother kissing one of their enemies? It didn't make any sense at all, and it gave Marcus a headache thinking about it. Eventually, he just headed off back to his room, deciding to go back to sleep, and ask his mom about it in the morning. The two lovebirds just continued to make out on the bed, until they soon fell asleep, at which point Krystal rolled off of Wolf, and slept next to him. She still kept her arms around the wolf, however, as it gave her comfort.

_8: 24 A.M._

At this time of day, most of the Smashers would start to wake up. Of course, not everyone is a morning person. Wolf was one of those people. When he woke up, he also woke up Krystal next to him, who had her arms wrapped around him the entire night. Naturally, he yelped in surprise when he saw her, and Krystal did the same. Both of them literally jumped out of bed, quickly checking to see if their clothes were still on. They sighed with relief when that was true.

"Good morning," Wolf blurted out, smiling at Krystal, if a little awkwardly at that.

"Good morning Wolf," Krystal returned, feeling a little more calmed down from her morning scare. The two gave one another a quick kiss, and headed down to get some breakfast. As they were heading down the hall, Krystal stopped.

"Oh wait! I promised Marcus that I would take him down and eat breakfast with him," Krystal remembered. Wolf stared at Krystal.

"Maybe we could all eat together," Wolf suggested. Krystal stared at Wolf with a confused look on her face.

"Marcus already knows about the rivalry with you and his dad. I'm not sure that's a good idea," Krystal informed him. Wolf blinked, and stepped towards Krystal.

"Oh come on. I'm sure I could convince him that I'm not all that bad. And if not, I'll find some way," Wolf promised. Krystal sighed, and smiled at Wolf.

"You just don't give up, do you?" Krystal asked. Wolf returned the smile.

"Nah, stubborn as a mule," Wolf replied, referring to himself. Krystal chuckled, and shook her head.

"Okay, I guess we'll try it," Krystal gave up, turning back to face Wolf. Wolf nodded, and Krystal headed off to wake up her son. Wolf, on the other hand, headed down for the dining room to get a place to sit.

--

_Meanwhile..._

"What? But, why, brother?" Crazy Hand exclaimed, shocked that his twin, although more calm, brother hand had suggested such a crazy idea.

"They really need it Crazy; you've seen them all week," Master Hand retaliated, staring out his office window. Crazy Hand just floated in place, not being able to stand still, due to a... birth defect, I guess? Crazy floated over to Master, floating next to him, shaking his head... or the closest thing to it.

"But, you can't do that to them," Crazy tried to fight back, protecting the Smashers for a change. Master faced Crazy, worry written across his face... you get the idea.

"Look, I don't want to this either Crazy, but I have to. I'm their boss/ owner. It's my job to make sure they enjoy themselves in the time they are here," Master explained to Crazy, turning back to look out the window as he finished. Crazy floated closer to his brother.

"I know that you want to help them, but... therapy? I'm... not sure that's the right way to go brother," Crazy spoke, being in one of his smart moods for once. Master sighed, and settled into his desk chair. Crazy took the seat across from him. Master looked hard at his twin brother glove.

"It's for the best Crazy. Besides, it's already set up," Master informed him. Crazy sighed, and floated out of the chair, heading for the door to his room. Just before the door, he faced Master again.

"So, I guess I can't stop you then?" Crazy questioned. Master nodded, and Crazy headed into his room, shutting the door behind him, leaving Master in silence. After a couple minutes, Master activated the announcer used to inform the Smashers of various things.

"Attention please. Would Mario, Luigi, Peach, Link, Toon Link, Samus, Pit, Meta Knight, Wolf, Ness, Lucas, and Slash report to my office after breakfast? That is all, thank you..." With that, Master Hand waited for the Smashers to report to his office, planning out what he was going to say.

--

_Back down at breakfast..._

Mario, Luigi, and Peach were the first ones done eating, so they had already headed up to Master Hand's office. Toon Link, Ness, and Lucas, who usually ate quickly so that they could play, soon followed after the three residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. Meta Knight had never even come down to breakfast, so it was assumed that he had headed to Master Hand's office at the sound of the announcement. However, the other five that had been called up, were still eating. Wolf, Krystal, and Marcus were enjoying their own breakfast in an awkward silence, while Slash, Samus, Pit, and Link were seated at their own table. Slash and Samus kept exchanging glances, at which point they immediately looked back to their food. When Slash wasn't peeking over at Samus, it was glances from Pit, leaving him very comfortable. Link, on the other hand, was oblivious to these events, including the fact that the other three also shot an occasional glance in his direction. At the Star Fox table, Wolf and Marcus also exchanged glances. Wolf tried smiling at the boy, but he kept ignoring the wolf. Krystal just shrugged when Wolf looked at her. It was a very quiet, and strange breakfast for both groups. However, someone soon broke the silence.

"So, you're Marcus, huh?" Wolf asked, trying to start up a conversation with Fox's offspring. Marcus just stared at Wolf with blank eyes, but Wolf sensed hate behind those large eyes.

"Why did you kill my grampa?" Marcus asked bluntly, causing Krystal to glare at her son.

"Marcus, don't be rude!" she scolded. Wolf held up his paw, giving Krystal a confused look.

"No, the kid deserves an answer, and I'll give him one," Wolf promised. At those words, Wolf explained the same story he had to Krystal last night, while Marcus listened in wonder. When Wolf finished, Marcus blinked a couple times.

"Wait, so you only hated my grampa, not my dad?" Marcus asked, slightly confused. Wolf took another bite of his pancake and nodded.

"Yep, your grampa seemed nice at first, but he's what made me have to get this robotic eye implant. But, I always tried to get back to being friends with your dad," Wolf elaborated. Marcus settled down in his seat.

"And all this time, Dad hated you for killing you his father, it was because of what he did to you... wow, that's amazing," Marcus commented. Wolf nodded, finishing off his last pancake and downing the last of his orange juice, sighing as he set the empty glass back on the wooden table. Wolf then stood up.

"Now then," Wolf began, grabbing Krystal and Marcus's attention.

"I have to head up to Master Hand's office, but I think we should spend more time together when we have some time. I can help you get used to this place," Wolf promised. Krystal nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea. What do you think Marcus?" she asked, looking over at her son. Marcus nodded.

"Sure, sounds like a good time. And, it'll be like hanging out with Fox," Marcus added, making Wolf suddenly stop and look at Marcus. Wolf felt his heart stop when Marcus said that, but he shook it off, and headed off for Master Hand's office.

During this whole ordeal, Pit had tried to start up a conversation to stop the awkwardness of the moment. "So, why do you guys think Master Hand called us up to his office?" he questioned his fellow eating Smashers. Link didn't answer, as he was focused on eating his waffles in peace. Slash took a drink of his water before he answered.

"Isn't it obvious? It's about the... mansion stuff," Slash mumbled, staring at Link as he said it. Samus and Pit looked at the Hero of Time as well with concern. Link just took another bite of his waffle in silence.

"Still, what is there to talk about that won't affect certain people, like Link here. If anything, he got it the worst," Samus added, staring worryingly at him. Link looked up at this, and swallowed what he was chewing, a tear rolling down his cheek. He pushed his plate forward, standing up.

"You know what? Suddenly, I'm not hungry anymore. I'm heading up to Master Hand's office," Link announced in a breaking voice, leaving the eating area. The three Smashers watched him go, feeling sorry for the elf. Slash continued eating his scrambled eggs with a side of crunchy French toast, while Samus was eating some Cheerios. Pit himself was enjoying a couple blueberry muffins. Each of them also drank some ice cold water with their food. They each finished within a couple minutes, and left their empty plates to the workers as they headed up to Master Hand's office as the last ones. The walk didn't take long, and they entered the familiar place.

The others were already seated, waiting to see why Master Hand had called them up. The comfortable couch was filled by a couple Smashers, while most of the chairs were also taken. Pit and Samus took the last two chairs, forcing Slash to stand. Master Hand counted out the twelve Smashers from his desk, nodding when he successfully counted out twelve.

"Okay, I know each of you are wondering why you're here," Master Hand began, getting nods from a couple Smashers. Master Hand came out from behind his desk, and now floated a couple feet away from them.

"Well, after the... events at that mansion last week, anyone can tell that you guys are depressed. As a result, I've signed each of you up to therapy," Master Hand explained, getting a couple shocked looks from the Smashers.

"Therapy?" Wolf shouted, standing up in his seat.

"Down boy," Master Hand lightly joked, watching Wolf obey his command. Master Hand cleared his throat.

"Now, I'm sure some of you are reluctant to trying therapy, but I believe it will help you guys out," Master Hand assured them. At this, the Smashers sighed and looked down. Master Hand was just trying to help them out, so they may as well try it out. They turned their attention back to him.

"Okay, we'll do it," Meta Knight agreed. Master Hand nodded.

"Good. It will begin in an hour. Report up here in an hour, and yes, all of you. You'll be taken one at a time for as long as the therapist believes. If need be, we'll go into days, weeks, months, it's all worth it," Master Hand told them. The Smashers nodded, secretly surprised by Master Hand's determination with this therapy idea.

"Well, you're dismissed for now," Master Hand sent them off. The Smashers filed out the door, ready to return in an hour.


	3. Therapy

Master Hand once again floated in front of twelve Smashers, as the hour had passed.

"Okay, you guys ready for this?" Master Hand asked. Each and every Smashers nodded, trying to look confident. Master Hand smiled.

"Okay then, first up is... Mario," Master Hand announced. The Italian plumber got up from his seat, and headed for the door into the therapist's room. Just before he grabbed the knob, he looked over at his friends, who gave him a "good luck" face. Mario nodded, and turned the knob. He looked into the room in wonder. There was a single couch-like thing for him to lay on, while there was a man sitting in a regular wooden chair, a clipboard in hand.

"Ah, Mr. Mario! Have a seat," the man beckoned, gesturing to the couch thing. Mario nodded, and laid down on the couch, which was rather comfortable. He was staring at the ceiling, while he heard the man writing down something on the clipboard. The man cleared his throat, and looked over at Mario.

"So, Mr. Mario. I believe you know why you are here, correct?" the man started off.

"Yes, I do Mr... umm," Mario stuttered.

"Chad. Chad Marshall," Chad answered. Chad then looked at his clipboard.

"Anyway, please tell me why you are feeling depressed, as I believe I can help you to overcome it," Chad requested bluntly. Mario took a deep sigh, and began to explain to Chad.

"Well, you know how the Smashers didn't want to go to the mansion in the first place?" Mario asked. Chad nodded, writing down notes. Mario closed his eyes, folding his hands together.

"When that happened and Master Hand was trying to convince them to go, I... helped to convince them to go," Mario admitted, feeling tears creeping back up to his eyes. Chad nodded, writing down the gist of what Mario said, among other things. Mario took another breath, and covered his face with his hands.

"And now, I can't sleep at night because... I have these dreams at night, that some of the Smashers ask me why, over and over again. It drives me crazy, and just makes me feel depressed," Mario added, sniffing a little. Chad nodded, putting down his clipboard.

"I see," Chad spoke, stroking his chin. Mario grabbed a nearby tissue, blowing his nose and wiping the tears from his blue eyes. Chad stared at Mario hard.

"You feel guilty that your friends were killed, because you convinced them to go," Chad explained. Mario nodded, and blew his nose once more. Chad wrote down one final note before standing up, pacing the room.

"However, it is not your fault that they were killed. You had no idea that they could ever be put into such danger," Chad assured the portly plumber. Mario looked at Chad, and blew his nose once more, and finished wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Thanks Chad, I'll... try to remember that," Mario promised. Chad nodded with a smile.

"Good. Send in Luigi next," Chad ordered, getting a new sheet of paper. Mario nodded, and stood back up. He walked back into Master Hand's office, catching the others' attention.

Luigi, you're next," Mario informed his taller, skinnier brother. Luigi stood up, gulping. As he walked to the door, he was shaking slightly. He opened the door, and stepped inside. Peach looked at Mario.

"How'd it go?" she asked. Mario looked at Peach.

"I... guess it helped me to try to be happier," Mario admitted. Peach nodded, and looked back at the door, hoping Luigi would also get some results.

"Luigi, it's okay to be scared of me, now come out from under the couch please," Chad ordered. The younger Mario brother had come into the room, and started to walk quietly over to the couch, when Chad greeted him. At the sound of his voice, Luigi jumped in the air, screaming, and dived under the couch, shaking from head-to-toe with fear. After Chad's order, Luigi crawled out from under the couch, and climbed onto it, still shaking a little.

"Are you always so... jumpy?" Chad asked, readying his pen. Luigi gulped, and nodded.

"It all started when I was a baby. When Mario and I were being delivered to our parents, this guy called Kamek attacked the stork delivering us and captured me, while Mario fell towards an island inhabited by Yoshis. Naturally, I was afraid, and kept crying out for my bro, because, even as babies, we could still comfort each other by talking to one another. But, when Mario didn't answer, I got even more scared, and was crying and crying for Mario. When he finally came and rescued us, I was still upset, but I tried to forget about it. Then, a while after all that, Kamek took me again. Just like last time, I kept crying for Mario, who took a long time to save me again, with Yoshi. As an added bonus to my already troubled childhood, I was always picked on by bullies. Mario would bail me out most times, and I grew to depend on him bailing me out of trouble. As we grew up, I also tried to become a plumber, like Mario wanted to. We both succeeded, and we were the Mushroom Kingdom's probably only plumbers. But, we found ourselves on more adventures than plumber business. In between some adventures, we were also invited to the Smash Bros Tournament, where I struggled with fighting others, including my own brother. I still have trouble fighting others, and I can almost never bring myself to even so much as taunt at Mario. Ever since I found out Sheik would want to kill us, I don't know if I should trust anyone else here," Luigi finished, taking a big sigh as he finished. Chad had long since stopped writing notes, and was silently staring at Luigi as he talked on and on and on. By now, his eye was twitching. How could a man talk for so long about himself after just hiding from someone? Chad quickly shook his head, and stared at Luigi, rubbing his thumbs together.

"Your problem, or rather I should say _problems_, lie in with your views on others. With Mario, for example, he's always helped you out throughout your life. Sure, that's being a good brother, but you need to stand on your own and be able to take care of yourself, because Mario won't always be there for you. Next, you seem to avoid your fears instead of facing them, which is the opposite of what you should actually be doing. Lastly, you need to be able to trust people. Yes, Sheik tried to kill you, but that doesn't mean that the others definitely will try to kill you too. You have to be able to trust people, Luigi," Chad explained, staring hard at the plumber. Luigi took in Chad's words, and decided to really try his advice.

"O...okay," Luigi agreed. Chad nodded, and wrote down his final notes on Luigi as the plumber headed for the door.

"Oh, send in Peach next, will you?" Chad requested. Luigi nodded, and reentered Master Hand's office, getting many glances from his fellow Smashers.

"Peach, you're next," Luigi spoke, taking her seat as the two passed one another. The Mario brothers looked at one another in concern, and wished for the best for Princess Peach.

The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom entered the room, and headed over to lay down on the couch, quickly greeting the therapist.

"Hi there," Peach greeted. Chad waved absentmindedly, writing down some beginning notes with ease.Peach looked away from Chad, taking a heavy sigh. Chad cleared his throat, and looked at Princess Peach.

"Well, with you, I actually got a little info on you. You are usually the optimistic one of the Smashers, it seems," Chad started off, readying his pen. Peach sighed again, and looked at the ceiling.

"Yeah, that's right. I annoyed the hell out of everyone here by acting like everything was always just fine, when half the time, it wasn't. Nobody supported my optimistic behavior, and I didn't have many friends as a result. After the whole mansion thing, I just... don't see how I could possibly act like everything's just fine. Plus, it just... got annoying to always act happy-go-lucky with the Smashers, you know? I mean, what's the point if no one is going to go along with it?" Peach asked. Chad nodded, writing down Peach's little speech. Chad then cleared his throat, and explained his theory to her.

"It appears that you have lost your will to keep hope alive, which is neither good nor bad. While it would be good to try to always stay happy, sometimes, you also have to accept the facts. So, the fact that you no longer act as happy as you once did, it doesn't mean there is something wrong with you, it just means you've changed the way you see things, which is fine. It's nothing to get upset about," Chad assured the princess. Peach sighed, and continued looking at the ceiling for a couple minutes while the sound of Chad's pen scratching down things was heard.

"So, that's all?" Peach inquired, looking over at Chad. Chad nodded, and got a clean sheet of paper.

"Link next, please," Chad asked, watching Peach walk away. Outside, Peach told Link that he was next. Link wiped his eyes and sniffed, and walked slowly over to the door, and entered nervously. Master Hand looked over at the three Smashers that had already been in therapy.

"You know you guys can leave, right?" Master Hand reminded them. Mario, Luigi, and Peach nodded.

"I guess we'll, uh, head on out then... alright," Mario stammered, standing up and walking to the door. He held it open for Peach and Luigi, and shut the door behind him, leaving the others to wait their turn.

Inside, Link had gotten comfortable on the therapist's couch, and looked over at Chad, who was scribbling some quick beginning things.

"So, Link. From what I... heard, you seem to have gotten the worst of it from that old mansion. Care to tell me all about it then? And don't leave any details out so that I can help you the best I can," Chad requested, snatching up a fresh pen and readying himself. Link sighed, and grabbed a nearby tissue box, blowing his nose into one of the soft pieces of paper.

"Well, it started when I found Zelda in the bathroom. Before I had run up there, she screamed rather loudly, and for an obvious reason. I ran up there as fast as I could, hoping that she wasn't..." Link trailed off, taking a big sigh. Chad waited patiently for Link to continue. Link felt familiar tears creep into his eyes, and he grabbed another tissue before continuing his recount.

"Anyway, when I arrived at the bathroom where Zelda was taken a shower, I opened the door and walked over to the shower. The water was still running and the curtains were closed, but I knew that Zelda wasn't okay, because she wasn't standing there. I walked over, and pulled the curtains to the side. Then, I-I saw her, lying there on the ground," Link kept talking, his voice breaking with each word. Chad watched with concern, preparing himself to stop Link if he went on a small mad rampage as a few of his past patients had. Link let the tissue in his hand fall to the ground, and began to shake in his position.

"Sh... she ha-had all these stab marks on her, and her bl...gulp...blood was pouring down the drain. I-I puked for a second after seeing that. Then. I got real angry, banged at the floor, and cursed some things that I-I'm not pr..proud of. After calming down, I... picked up her body and laid it across the-the edge of the shower, and covered her body with her clothes. After that, I just held her hand and... and... and..." Link didn't finish this sentence, as he began to cry, trying to clean his face with tissues, but his face kept dirtying with his wet tears. Chad stared intently at the elf, sighing. He pitied Link, and hoped that he could help him through this rough time.

"Z...Zelda!! Why? Why you?? It's not right, it's just not right!!" Link shouted in between sobs. After his words, he shouted a variety of other things, but they were too hard to make out. Chad assumed it was along the lines of cursing Zelda's killer, shouting the old "it should have been me!" thing, and how much he missed her. After a long period of sobs, cursing, and tissue boxes, Link finally managed to calm down enough that he could speak. Chad took a short breath, and braved asking him another question.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Link sniffed, and nodded a few times, his face red and soaked. Chad nodded, and looked hard at Link.

"Is there anything else?" he asked. Link nodded once more, and sighed.

"After we finally caught Slash, he told us that he wasn't the only one trying to kill us. In that brief moment, someone shot a needle into the crowd that hit Ganondorf in the face, who was holding Slash. That same person then killed him right in front of us. That same person was also one of my closest friends, Sheik. I couldn't believe that she admitted to killing Zelda, and even planning to kill me! At the time, I was pissed, and just wanted to kill her. But, now, I just don't know what to think of her... I still have nightmares about it, as well as Zelda asking me why I didn't protect her. It scares me, and makes me feel... useless," Link finished, curling slightly into a ball. Chad sighed, raising an eyebrow at just how bad Link had it. Chad cleared his throat, and stared at Link, trying to look professional.

"It appears you've been met with trauma by seeing your Zelda... as she was. The same thing with Sheik, you saw her kill that Ganondorf, and help kill others. But, you've got to face your fears, and perhaps find comfort with a close friend or friends that you know would never do anything to hurt you. That's my advice for you," Chad told Link, watching to see how the elf would take it. Link nodded, and stood up.

"Thanks, I'll... try it," Link promised, heading for the door. Chad nodded, and wrote some final notes.

"Send in Toon Link, Ness, and Lucas please," Chad requested. Link nodded, and returned to Master Hand's office.

"Toon Link, Ness, and Lucas now," Link told them. The three addressed kids stood up, and headed into the door, a little scared of what would happen in the office. The fact that they heard Link crying hadn't reassured them either. Link, meanwhile, left the office to immediately take Chad's advice, hoping it would help ease his pain.

Inside Chad's office, the three kids(who I just realized have never ever talked in either of the stories) all took a seat on Chad's couch, and were worried about the man who would be giving them sometime the older people called therapy, or something. Suddenly, the strange man asked the children a question.

"You three must be Toon Link, Ness, and Lucas, right?" he asked. The kids slowly nodded. Chad took off his glasses, wiping them off a little before continuing.

"Have you little guys noticed how the big people are always sad, and that some of the other people that used to live here are missing?" Chad asked, blinking a few times as he was momentarily confused at what he just said. Regardless, the three children nodded again. Chad sighed, and wondered what to say to the children next. He finally took a deep breath, and began to explain.

"You guys see, the people that are missing are... dead. They died, and can't ever come back. That's what dying is. It's very sad, yes, but it can't be avoided. Everyone and everything one is doomed to dying, there's no way around it. But, err, about dying itself... Huh, how to explain it... Well, it's when... someone's body is hurt too badly that it can't take it anymore and... uhhhhh... shuts down. There are a couple other ways to die as well, but even explaining death to you is not that good of an idea. But, the important thing is, you have to move on, and live life to the fullest, okay?" Chad finished, taking a breath. As if it was all they could do, the three kids nodded. Chad tapped his fingers together, and clicked his tongue.

"Ummm, you guys can leave now, if that's all, but tell Samus to come in next, please," Chad told them. The three kids nodded, as if it was all God gave them to do, and walked outside, tapping Samus's shoulder and signaling that she was next for therapy. The female bounty hunter entered Chad's office, while the kids left Master Hand's office to go back to what they had planned to do: playing _Super Mario 64_.

Like I said for everyone else, Samus lied down on the couch, and waited for Chad to begin therapy. After a minute, Chad began the questions.

"So, you're the famous Samus Aran, bounty hunter, eh?" Chad began. Samus flashed a small smile and nodded, cupping her hands together over her stomach. Chad nodded, and wrote down a few more things before continuing.

"So, there's something I found strange in you being depressed at this... loss. You've been known for being a cruel and ruthless woman. However, I will not let that cloud my advice, but could you explain your reasons for me, please?" Chad requested, readying his by-now aching hand. Samus's smile disappeared, and she sighed, closing her eyes.

"Well, Chad, I'm not so sure that now my problems are with what happened at the mansion, because I've already talked about it with a... an associate of mine, and he helped me through it already," Samus explained. Chad nodded, his eyes lighting up.

"Good, very good. Then, unless there's something else you want to talk about, this appointment is over," Chad told her. Samus gulped, and wondered if she should talk with Chad about the other thing that was bothering her.

"Wait, there's still something I need help with," Samus quickly told Chad. Chad nodded, and leaned forward a little in his chair.

"Okay then, tell me about it, and I'll see if I can help you," Chad requested, readying his pen and clipboard once more. Samus took a deep breath, and began to explain everything to Chad.

"The associate I talked with, was Slash. But, after we talked, we almost... kissed, and I stopped him just before the actual kiss and told him that I just didn't want to lose another close friend. But, I truly do love him, but I just... I don't know what to do," Samus finished, shaking her head with a big sigh. Chad nodded, thinking over this predicament. He cleared his throat, and stared at Samus.

"Well, this is always a tough one, but it is simple advice: you must follow your heart. Only that will guide you to true happiness," Chad spoke softly, getting Samus to think.

"Thanks, I-I'll do that," Samus promised, standing up and heading for the door.

"Send in Pit next," Chad asked her. Samus nodded, and beckoned Pit over to the office before heading off to her room to think about what Chad had said.

--

Samus was walking back to her room, when she accidentally bumped into Link.

"Oh, sorry," Samus apologized.

"It's okay, I wasn't looking where I was going," Link assured her. The two looked at each other for about two seconds before sighing, and looking at the ground. They sat together in the hall, thinking about the therapy they had undergone close to an hour ago.

"Geez, I don't know if I should go to Midna for comfort; I've considered her a friend, but I don't know if I can trust her with comforting me," Link mumbled aloud. Samus chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, but I think I've got it worse; I mean, I like Slash a lot, but... I don't know if it would work out. I mean, I barely know the guy!" Samus rambled. Link nodded in agreement before facing Samus.

"You know what? I think we should take our chances, and give them a try!" Link declared boldly, standing up tall over Samus. Samus looked up at Link, and stood up also.

"Yeah!" she shouted, pumping her fist. The two immediately set off from the hall, ideas forming in their heads.

--

"Okay, thanks Chad," Wolf nodded, getting up to fetch Slash for his appointment. Chad nodded, and prepared for the knife master. Slash walked in not a moment after Wolf left, and laid down on the couch.

"So, Mr. Slash. I hear you are from America, and have also killed quite a few in your time," Chad began. Slash frowned, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, you heard right. You probably feel safe with the mansion's magic that prevents any physical pain, right?" Slash asked, staring at Chad. Chad chuckled lightly, but still nodded.

"So, what seems to be the problem with you?" Chad asked, readying his pen. Slash scratched his head, and began speaking.

"It's just, I can't believe the guys could forgive a guy like me. I mean, I had to have killed about 20 of their friends. It makes no sense that they could ever think about forgiving me, and it just makes me uncomfortable," Slash admitted. Chad chuckled.

"I can understand where you're coming from, Slash. From what I understand, in America, if such an event were to occur, you would most likely never be forgiven and there would be terrible consequences," Chad spoke. Slash nodded.

"Exactly, this kind of thing would never happen in America!" Slash exclaimed. Chad nodded, and looked hard at Slash.

"But, you have to understand, Slash, this is Japan, and these people you fight with have been taught to forgive even the cruelest monsters. For example, Bowser, that giant turtle thing with a spiked shell? He destroyed the Mushroom Kingdom and captured Peach many, many times, and yet Mario is able to forgive him, and the two have even saved the universe together," Chad informed him. Slash sighed, and looked at the ceiling.

"What do you know... Thanks Chad, I needed this, and I'll try to remember this isn't America anymore," Slash promised, standing up and leaving the office. As he walked back into Master Hand's office, Master Hand himself stopped him.

"What?" Slash asked. Master Hand handed him a small envelope, addressed to him.

"It's from Samus; she told me to deliver it to you," Master explained before floating into Chad's office for a discussion. Slash opened the envelope, and read its contents.

_Dear Slash,_

_Meet me in my room at midnight._

_-Samus_

Although the note was short and simple, Slash read over it a few times to make sure he clearly read it. Finally, he let a smile spread across his face, and he immediately realized the meaning behind the note. Now, he couldn't wait for midnight to come!

_--  
7: 23 P.M._

Link peeked into the living room, where there were a few newcomers resting around after some rough brawls. He ignored those guys, and searched around for her. Aha! There she was, relaxing in the recliner, her feet were up and she looked very relaxed indeed. Link walked over to Midna and tapped on her shoulder. Midna looked up to see Link, and smiled warmly.

"Oh, hey Link! What's up?" she greeted enthusiastically. Link nodded with a small, nervous smile, and helped Midna to her feet, dragging her from the living room.

"Where are we going?" Midna asked as the two were jogging down the hall to who-knows-where. Link didn't answer, and simply kept running until he arrived at his own room. Before he brought her inside, he looked at Midna with a serious, solemn face.

"Listen, I just need to talk with a friend about something important, and you're my closest friend in this mansion so far," Link quickly explained. Midna stared at Link concerningly, and took a short breath.

"Okay, I guess I'll, uhhh, listen to you then... yeah," Midna replied, feeling slightly awkward so far. Link shot her a quick smile.

"Thanks," he told her, dragging her into his room and setting her down on his bed.

"So, what's up?" Midna asked, staring at Link, relaxing her head on a nearby pillow. Link took a deep breath, and explained the same thing he had to Chad before. During his talk, Midna listened carefully, and felt a little pity for her friend and what he had been put through. When Link finished his talk and was about ready to cry once more, Midna jumped up and hugged the elf, patting his back as familiar tears rolled down from his eyes and onto Midna's outfit. After about five minutes, Link calmed down and pulled away from her, wiping his eyes and nose. After he felt his face was clean, he smiled at Midna.

"Thanks for listening to me," he thanked, staring down at his bed as he spoke. Midna then did something completely crazy; she grabbed Link's head, and brought it towards her own. Then, when his face was close enough, she let their lips meet, and kissed him. At first, Link was confused and unsure what to do, but he soon forgot about that and let himself loose in the kiss. The two friends kissed for a long time. It seemed like hours before their lips parted. They smiled at each other, and felt happy. Midna stood up, and began to walk to the door.

"See you tomorrow," Midna whispered in a low voice, winking at Link. Link just nodded with a big, stupid grin on his face, and laid down to go to sleep. Midna, meanwhile, walked back to her room, and also quickly fell asleep.

_--  
12: 00 A.M._

Slash took a deep breath, and walked into Samus's room. The lights were off, but two candles were lit on two tables next to the bed, where Samus was waiting. She was in nothing but a bra and panties, exciting Slash.

"Hey there, glad you could make it," Samus greeted in a low, sexy voice. Slash shut the door behind him, locking the door. He walked over to the bed, and laid down next to Samus, removing his mobster hat and putting it carefully on the table, careful to keep it away from the candle. The two smiled at one another, and Samus was about to lean in for the kiss, when Slash stopped her.

"I gotta say, this thing so far has turned me on, but I just want to make sure that you want this before I get too excited," Slash explained. Samus nodded, and moved her hand up to stroke Slash's face.

"Yes, I'm just following my heart, which really, really wants this," Samus spoke before bringing Slash's face close to her own. The two stared deeply into the other's eyes.

"I love you," Samus told him, and Slash could tell that she meant it by the look in her eyes. Slash smiled once more.

"I love you too," he replied, moving in and planting his lips on Samus's. The two proceeded to make out for a long time. During that time, the two began to strip down into nothing, and-

_You can imagine what happens next._


End file.
